


something more than love

by marcasite



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Airports, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Hopeful Ending, Love at First Sight, Mutual Pining, Post-Battle of Scarif, Tumblr Prompt, bittersweet fluff, inverse, kiss prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24443647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marcasite/pseuds/marcasite
Summary: Collection of short rebelcaptain fics, prompt responses, and stories.  AU, Modern, Inverse will all go here, mainly shorter one shots though sequels may be inspired to come and join the party!I will move my "take it easy on my heart" series into subsequent chapters here so sorry in advance for repeat notifications.
Relationships: Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso
Comments: 25
Kudos: 39





	1. one mile at a time

**Author's Note:**

> For anon on tumblr who asked for "airport au"

Jyn walked quickly down the terminal scanning for her gate; she hated late night flights but her desire to get home as quickly as possible outweighed her distaste for late night flights. Arriving at the gate her whole body groaned when she saw the flight delay notification. Pulling her phone out she took note of the delay time and resigned herself to an even longer night.

Turning, she noticed a sparsely populated bar and decided it would do. Tugging her bag behind her, she settled into a corner seat, two down from the nearest occupant, and decided on a beer. The bar was quiet, the noise from the televisions throughout the terminal fading into the background. After she placed her order, she pulled her phone out fully intending on not engaging with any stranger tonight.

That was the plan. 

Not five minutes into her beer, she hears a quiet voice ask her a question. She inwardly rolls her eyes (was she not showing all the signs of don’t talk to me) and looks up from her phone only to meet the darkest pair of eyes she has ever seen.   
Like in the movies, her breath catches.

He is saying something, but she is not registering what the words are, too busy trying to reboot her brain. She is flustered at herself, mad that she would have such a visceral reaction to someone’s appearance. Mentally chiding herself, she asks him to repeat himself.

“I didn’t mean to disturb but I wanted to let you know your wallet is sliding out. You could lose it, or someone could grab it like that.” 

His voice is soft, accent raspy and layered with nuances. She believes she could listen to him recite through a dictionary and never get tired of hearing the words. She is still staring at him, watching the lines around eyes and mouth deepen as a small smile starts to tug at the corners of his mouth. His eyes look like they have stories hidden in their depths; adventures he has lived through. 

She is still staring at him when he raises a hand and starts to point down at something. Right! Her wallet.

“Oh,” Jyn flushed, turning quickly to catch her wallet and zip it into her backpack. “Thank you.” 

“No problem, I know what a disaster it is to be traveling and not have your wallet.” He waits a beat before continuing, “I’m Cassian, by the way.”

“Jyn,” she says. “Thank you again. It’s been a week and I’m ready to get home.”

“Same. The longest conference I have been to in ages. I swore if one more speaker got up to repeat the same story, I was going to get up and walk out.”

Jyn tilts her head, “Were you at the civic center this week?”

Cassian nods, confirming he was. “Honestly, I can’t stand the crowds, and everyone packed together but I’m the one always sent out to go to them.”

“I was there as well. Normally, I don’t mind these events but this one seemed worse than usual.”

Jyn found herself leaning towards him as they made their way through small talk. She learned that he worked for a competitive firm, specializing in the same work that she was doing. He traveled as much as she did and found the routine of travel both exhilarating and draining. They both called Chicago home base but spent as much time outside the city as in it. His flight is leaving an hour after hers and disappointment settles over her at a small, missed opportunity.

At some point, Cassian had moved to the seat next to hers and after a while quiet settled over them as they finished their drinks. The silence wasn’t terrible, in fact, she felt the most comfortable she had in years in that moment. His quiet demeanor and careful conversation both told her nothing and yet everything. She sighed when she realized it was almost time for her to board her flight, ending this quiet hour she has enjoyed so much.

“Listen, I know this-uh…this is going to be…you can say no,” Cassian is leaning away, shifting his face down as if to avoid the conversation entirely.

Jyn doesn’t hesitate although her mind is screaming at her to ABORT!ABORT!, “Cassian, can I get your number? Do you want to meet up sometime?” 

His smile makes the risk seem worthwhile and she is entranced once again by the warmth of his gaze. 

“Yes, I would.” 

He seems more nervous now and she gently reaches out and taps the face of his phone on the bar. “Open this and I will put my number in.” 

He opens his phone and hands it to her; she quickly sends herself a text and hands the phone back letting her fingers graze gently across his palm during the exchange. She is probably imagining the small intake of his breath as she pulls her hand away.

She opens her phone and quickly returns the text to him, “And now you have my number.”

She lifts her head up as the sound of her flight number is called out, “Well, this is me.” She gathers her bag and notices Cassian standing up. He leans over to her and she realizes he has a good size inches on her, but it doesn’t make her nervous the way some people do. 

“Jyn. Thank you for the past hour. I really enjoyed our conversation. I have never done this before-“

“What? Pick someone up at a bar?” Jyn blurts out to cover her own nerves. 

He ducks his head before answering, “Well, yeah. But in all honesty, I just really enjoyed talking with you.”

He extends his hand and she reach out to shake it. His hand is softer than she thought it would be and is all gone all too quickly. 

“Have a safe flight.”

She walks away, determined not to look back but she can feel his gaze as he watches her. She boards her flight and wonders if the last hour was real and if she would ever see Cassian again. Her phone chimes and she smiles down at his text.

**Saturday at 7PM – The Peninsula?**

_Can’t wait._


	2. someone good to come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s music playing in the background; something festive and merry and she still can’t get over how many candles Kay and Bodhi were able to hang from tree limbs. They are everywhere, casting a soft light as they turn and twinkle against the settling sun. There’s so much food and drink, there is no way she is going to ask Leia where it all came from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr Prompt for the Kiss Meme **…on a falling tear** requested by [ibonekoen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibonekoen)

I will never be ashamed for having loved you

I will always weight you like my name

You're in every breath I take, every promise that I make

With every tender touch our life can change

There’s music playing in the background; something festive and merry and she still can’t get over how many candles Kay and Bodhi were able to hang from tree limbs. They are everywhere, casting a soft light as they turn and twinkle against the settling sun. There’s so much food and drink, there is no way she is going to ask Leia where it all came from.

Leia coordinated the whole thing, was maniacal down to the last detail. _We deserve this, you both deserve this, after everything we have done and everything we have been through._ It’s time, don’t you think?

She couldn’t agree with her more but there is a knot of tension settling in her stomach and she is not completely sure why.

She moves to the side of Leia’s home, where she can watch everything unfolding without being noticed. She’s not sure why she feels so anxious, so out of sorts. This should be a wonderful day, something she’s waited for years for, never thought would ever be possible. Today was everything they all have been waiting for.

But for some reason, she feels torn in half as if a part of her is missing and can’t get it back. She doesn’t think of her parents as much as she has in the past, of everyone she has loved and lost and but there are days that she wonders what her life could have looked like now if she hadn’t been Galen Erso’s daughter.

No Jedha, no Baze, no Chirrut, no Bodhi, no Eadu, no Scarif, no Death Star.

_No Cassian._

With the war over and (relative) peace flowing around them, she wonders what her place in this new life will be. There are days when she feels like she’s missing out on something, as if an adventure is out there right now happening without her, an adventure that’s passing her by. She can close her eyes and remember everything, from the scent of the grass on Lah’mu to the bitter cold of Hoth and everything in between. It’s as if all those moments were laid out just for her and snatched away, just as she reaches out for them.

Sighing, she looks around at the flow of people in the Solo’s small yard. Couples dancing, Baze leaning against a tree smirking at a story Chirrut is sharing. Everything appears so normal, so ordinary. Sighing again, she wonders if she was made for this ordinary life.

_She has only known extraordinary (unfortunate ordinary)._

She feels a tear escape and lets it fall. She is not sure why she’s crying but looking around her, she realizes that THIS IS everything that she gave up so much for and it’s perfectly perfect.

She doesn’t realize that she’s twisting the simple band on her left hand, around and around, until he gently places a hand over hers. He sits down next to her, moving his hand to caress the nape of her neck. She inhales the scent of him and a part of her acknowledges how right this, how good.

Cassian.

Everything that means anything to her is in this man.

“No regrets?” His fingers slide gently down her arm before settling lightly on her hand.

She smiles as she turns to him, this man who loves her unconditionally and wholly, and sees the trace of doubt that linger in his eyes. Even after all these years, he still wants to default to state of preservation (they both do) but he hides his doubts and insecurities, trusting in her and in them.

As she looks up at him, she thinks about all those years before him, of hollow days and endless nights; nights where she would look to the sky and silently beg the stars to align for her, just once. She remembers the emptiness of her life and there are still small moments when she can remember the bitter taste of disappointment that this would be her life. Before.

But tonight; with this quiet, confident man sitting next to her, she understands that she will love this man for all her life and doesn’t want to begin to imagine what life would be like without him.

She thinks she already knows.

So, with a small shake of her head, she allows all those memories to slide back into the past where they belong and beams up at her husband.

“None at all. I’m ready.”

He leans over and reaches out a hand to brush the lone tear away. He leans forward and presses a soft kiss on the trail the tear left behind before leaning his forehead against hers.

“I love you.”

She smiles and cups a hand against his jawline, “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on tumblr, [leaiorganas](https://leaiorganas.tumblr.com/), come talk to me anytime


	3. say you love me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five minutes in which a man, once a stranger, had gathered together the first of her hope and had welcomed her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr prompt from [goingtothetardis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goingtothetardis) "I'm scared about what this means."

Five  
Five minutes is all it takes for the course of her life to change.  
  
She’s sure of it.

Five minutes in which a man, once a stranger, had gathered together the first of her hope and had welcomed her home.  
  
She remembers that she had stood there, unsure and insecure. No one had ever breathed those words to her, no one had ever extended so much of themselves to her. She had been used to being alone, fighting to stay one step ahead of anyone who could hurt her.

And in the span of five minutes, she had a family. People she could call friends. A sense of purpose. For the first time in her life, she knows she can forge ahead with something more than just herself.  
  
The burden is heavy, the weight of it is crushing her and somewhere, she hears a clock ticking.  
  
  
  
  
Four  
Four weeks are gone before she has a moment to reflect.  
  
The days and nights after Scarif are a hazy blur of pain, rehabilitation and isolation. She wept bitter tears of desolation at the loss of so many and she rejoiced when news of the Death Star’s demise made its way to her. She waited impatiently for Cassian’s recovery while entertaining visits from various members of the Alliance, including Draven. He had threaten to court martial all of them at the loss of the plans and the Princess but after leaving Yavin IV behind, Jyn found herself a Sergeant in the Alliance.

  
She was okay with this, surprisingly. This new family of hers seem to swell and expand and she still found herself overwhelmed by the easy acceptance her friends offered her. She had friends, she had a place to call home. 

Cassian’s release from the medbay is done quietly and with no fanfare. He chooses to stay slightly withdrawn from others, not actively participating in friendly activities. He doesn’t go out of his way to decline, merely avoids. Jyn feels the weight of disappoint every time he smiles slightly at her before moving on. She wasn’t entirely sure what she expected, kriff she fully expected to die on Scarif, but she had hoped.  
  
So she still clings to this little bit of hope and and for the first time in her life she understands that she has time.  


  
  
Three  
Three months in and she knows that what she feels for Cassian has only grown stronger.  
  
He is always friendly but there is a barrier between them that she doesn’t understand and can’t figure out how to break down. He is distant, and days will go by where she does not see him at all; when she leaves with the Pathfinders, she always half expects him to be waiting when she returns and is always disappointed when he is not there.

She runs into him one cold morning and decides to use this opportunity to simply ask him. She gathers her courage and turns to him as he tries to move past her, “Cassian.”

He turns back to her, speculation on his face. “Sergeant.”

Her face falls a bit at the title, but she continues, “I was..wondering if you would have dinner with me in the mess tonight?”

His eyebrows raise, and a wealth of emotions cross his face. She watches them all, working to decipher them before his face settles into a distant expression. Surprise, want, hope, all flashed before he tamps them down. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not? I thought we were friends.”

“Are we?”

Jyn is watching him, her voice soft. “Don’t you want to be?”

He shifts minutely, the only indication that Jyn has that her words have affected him. She notes the small tell, catalogs it and continues to watch him, waiting.  
  
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, either.”

She shrugs, and she can feel some of her hope seeping out of her, “Okay, no to dinner, no to friends. Got it.”

She turns to walk away, dejection covering her. His voice stops her before she has taken two steps, “Jyn.”

She doesn’t turn around, she’s not sure she can take any more rejection today. She has already eked out the last of her courage and the limb she is standing on is swaying under her weight.

“Yes, Jyn.”

She slowly turns, not quite sure what he is saying. Her expression must show her confusion.

“Yes, Jyn. Yes, to both.” He leaves after those words and Jyn watches him as he retreats, and she lets out breath she had not realize she is holding.  
  
She smiles and wishes she possess the ability to manipulate time if only to make dinner arrive faster.  
  


  
  
Two  
Two am and he is asleep in her arms. 

In sleep, he looks young and free. The lines on his face are smoothed out, the hardness in his eyes and face are soften with peace. She loves watching him sleep, a gift he has given her that she never would have believed could be hers. That he trusts her when he is most vulnerable, at his weakest, brings a weight to her chest that is weirdly calming.

She brings a hand to brush his hair off his face, trailing a finger down his cheek. His eyes open at the movement and sharpen quickly on her.

“You okay?” His voice is gritty from sleep, warmth infusing the layers of his accent. 

She basks in the heat of his arms and laces her fingers with his; pulling herself closer to him. He responds by tightening his grip on her waist.

“Yeah, just thinking.”

Cassian groans but pushes his face into her neck. “About what?” His voice is muffled but his breath hits a sensitive point and she shivers.

“About us, about what…this means.”

Cassian lifts his head, sleep clearing from his eyes. Jyn regrets saying anything at all, the quiet peace on his face is gone, replaced by a sharp stillness that she hates.

“This?”

“I just…sometimes…sometimes I’m scared about what this means. This being us.” Jyn pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing, “Just that you mean…you are…I think..ok.”

Cassian is watching her steadily, not moving and she just thinks she has to say it. “I think I love you and I have never wanted to love anyone. And this is hard…but you don’t have to love me. Just that I get scared that you may not feel…just what it means to me.”

  
Cassian buries his face in her neck and she can feel his body relaxing in increments against hers. She hadn’t realized how tense he had gotten, her distress at the turn of the conversation distracting her.

“Jyn, I’ve always loved you. Even when I was pushing you away, I loved you.” His voice is quiet, sleep slowly working its way back into it. “There is nothing to be scared of, this is it.”

She releases a breath that she did not realize she was holding. Turning to face him, she brings her hand to his cheek and kisses him, pouring everything she can’t say into this kiss. Everything beyond her love; her devotion, her fears, her friendship, her admiration, her strength.

She would not trade this time with him for anything.  


  
  
One  
One life with him is all she can hope for.  
  
With the celebration on Endor surrounding them, he smiles down at her and she knows that he is her home. Time is simply waiting for them to start.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr anytime, [leaiorganas](https://leaiorganas.tumblr.com/)!

**Author's Note:**

> I have been gone an age! I have been poking at a multi-chapter fic for ages and I just needed a break so I looked through the prompts in my inbox and this just struck me. I hope to do more prompt responses and get the creative ideas flowing again. I missed you guys!
> 
> As always, hit me up on tumblr for anything!! [leaiorganas](https://leaiorganas.tumblr.com/)!!


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